Jon Harris had me on his podcast today to talk about fantasy fiction and whether or not Christians should read Tolkien. We ended up talking a lot about the question, "What is the Bible?"
Listening to this podcast was like listening to music. 🎶 Notes reach, stir playfully and are incapable of lying flat.
I heard clear wisdom in the suggestion to "just look for the meaning". The advice is simple, accessible. I really think it has the potential to unlock the mind of a modern stuck in binary traps of understanding.
I love your invitation or reminder that the purpose is to encounter God. The immediacy of God's presence is available in a world imbued with meaning. Scripture is like a map, you tell us, so we find the right direction, so we don't get lost.
“The mere stories were the thing. They arose in my mind as ‘given’ things…always I had the sense of recording what was already ‘there’, somewhere: not of ‘inventing’.” - JRR Tolkien, in a letter to Milton Waldman, describing his work on The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion
That makes complete sense to me. It dovetails nicely with the argument I was making. I did not realize that Tolkien had made such an assertion. Thanks for sharing that.
I am not really familiar with the Quran. I would argue, as a Christian, that Mohammed was deceived, that whatever revelations he experienced did not come from God, but from fallen angel, likely the demonic entity known as the "Prince of Persia." Thus, whatever stories there are in the Quran, they would function to drawn on the truths of the metaphysical order, distorting and twisting them in such a way as to draw worship and practice away from the living God to the entity that masks itself behind the name "Allah."
Loved every minute of this conversation. Was especially fascinated at the intimation that some of Harris's audience might take umbrage at some of your positions. Fascinating. Thanks for the amazing exchange!
Listening to this podcast was like listening to music. 🎶 Notes reach, stir playfully and are incapable of lying flat.
I heard clear wisdom in the suggestion to "just look for the meaning". The advice is simple, accessible. I really think it has the potential to unlock the mind of a modern stuck in binary traps of understanding.
I love your invitation or reminder that the purpose is to encounter God. The immediacy of God's presence is available in a world imbued with meaning. Scripture is like a map, you tell us, so we find the right direction, so we don't get lost.
"Our world brims with meaning". That is music!
Thanks! Glad you found it a blessing!
“The mere stories were the thing. They arose in my mind as ‘given’ things…always I had the sense of recording what was already ‘there’, somewhere: not of ‘inventing’.” - JRR Tolkien, in a letter to Milton Waldman, describing his work on The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion
That makes complete sense to me. It dovetails nicely with the argument I was making. I did not realize that Tolkien had made such an assertion. Thanks for sharing that.
I wonder(as a muslim).
Can the quran be like that too???
I am not really familiar with the Quran. I would argue, as a Christian, that Mohammed was deceived, that whatever revelations he experienced did not come from God, but from fallen angel, likely the demonic entity known as the "Prince of Persia." Thus, whatever stories there are in the Quran, they would function to drawn on the truths of the metaphysical order, distorting and twisting them in such a way as to draw worship and practice away from the living God to the entity that masks itself behind the name "Allah."
I don't think he was decieved...
Becouse both bible and quran both had remnants of their local cultures + the text.
They may as well be the different versions/editions of the same holy book/text for different people/civilization.
We will have to disagree on this. We each have our faith commitments.
I don't think we should!!!
https://youtu.be/NJY9W3-E0wk?si=IRqhThv47eQQyGHa
It's from Jordan peterson.
Bible as a view that ancients had on world
https://open.substack.com/pub/luciferv/p/in-the-beginning-was-the-word?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5e4lda
Loved every minute of this conversation. Was especially fascinated at the intimation that some of Harris's audience might take umbrage at some of your positions. Fascinating. Thanks for the amazing exchange!
Thanks!